Reports: One Cain Accuser Got $45K, Other Got $35K

Accuser Works as Registered Lobbyist in New Jersey

The other woman who complained about Cain is described by former colleagues as now working as a registered lobbyist in New Jersey.

Cain says he recalls going out for drinks with her and other employees of the Restaurant Association after work.
"She was in some of those group activities where we went out together, but it was never, she and I alone or anything like that," said Cain.

But the incident that prompted the woman's complaint, which took place at a restaurant in Crystal City, Virginia, according to a former pollster for the NRA, was much more serious.

Oklahoma political consultant Chris Wilson talked about it on KTOK radio Wednesday.

"She was a very lower level staffer I think she was maybe two years out of college and this all occurred at a restaurant in Crystal City and everybody was very aware of it," said Wilson. " I don't want to be drawn into it specifically, but if she comes out and talks about it, it's like I said, it'll probably be the end of his campaign." Wilson currently works for a Rick Perry political action committee.

Cain's recollection of the reported financial settlements has changed through the week. At first he said he was unaware of any settlement, then said an accuser had been paid three months salary, then upped that to three to six months salary.

Cain campaign spokesman J.D. Gordon Wednesday dismissed reports of a third accuser as part of an attempt to smear the candidate.

"Mr. Cain has said over the past two days at public events that we could see other baseless allegations made against him as this appalling smear campaign continues," said Gordon. "Since his critics have not been successful in attacking his ideas, they are resorting to bitter personal attacks. Mr. Cain deserves better."

The new tack also involved trying to shift attention to who might have leaked the story to the media, with accusations from Cain and his chief of staff that the story was planted by the campaign of Texas governor Rick Perry.

The candidate told a Tea Party town hall meeting, via phone, that the Perry campaign was behind the original Politico story about the harassment charges. "We now know, and have been able to trace [the story] back to the Perry campaign that stirred this up, in order to discredit me and slow us down," said Cain. "The fingerprints are all over the Rick Perry campaign, based upon our sources."

In an interview with Forbes, Cain said that he had told GOP consultant Curt Anderson, who worked on his 2004 U.S. Senate bid, about a settlement of harassment charges from his time at NRA. Anderson now works for the Rick Perry campaign.

Ricky Perry issued a blanket denial. "There's not anybody in my campaign that knew anything about this," said the Texas governor. Perry's campaign issued a statement saying that no one in the campaign was involved in spreading the sexual harassment story "in any way," and that the campaign first learned of the charges from the original Politico story. Ray Sullivan, Perry's communications director, called Block's charge "reckless and false."

Anderson also denied leaking the harassment story to Politico, and said he learned of the settlement by reading about it in Politico. In an interview with CNN, he said that he didn't recall any conversation with Cain about sexual harassment accusations while working for Cain, but stopped short of saying Cain was lying, instead suggesting that Cain was coming "unraveled" in a "firestorm." In a statement released Wednesday, he said he had "great respect for Herman and his character and I would never speak ill of him."